Building construction



Nov. 3, 1964 P.- GRAHAM 3,154,883

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.Pb/M'p Graham BY ATTORNEY Nov. 3, 1964 P. GRAHAM 3,154,888

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 23, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

BY Phil/Ill Era mm Nov. 3, 1964 P. GRAHAM BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 23, 1960 F l G,

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Now-3; 1964 P. GRAHAM BUILDINGCONSTRUCTION 5 Sheets-Sheet '4 Filed March23, 1960 INVENTUR. BY Plulllp Graham Arrow/45y Nov. 3, 1964 P. GRAHAM3,154,888

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 25, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FlG.2 c1

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a, 45 45 45 4e 25 I P/n/bp Era/lam ATTORNEY United States Patent Office8,154,888 Patented Nov. 3, 1964 8,154,888 BUILDING CGNSTRUCTEGN PhillipGraham, 2825 Glenmore Ave, Pittsburgh, Pa. Filed Mar. 23, 1960, Ser. No.17,167 12 (Ilaims. (Cl. 50-52) This invention relates to buildingconstruction including curved, thin-shell, reinforced, buildings ofcementitious materials and plastics which can be readily con structedwith curved precast panel sections, which sections can be interlocked orbonded together to obtain an integral building shell of great strength,and relates also to the methods and apparatus for constructing thebuildings. This invention is a continuation-in-part of my copendingapplications Serial No. 456,684, filed Sept. 17, 1954, entitled FlexibleBuilding Panel Form, now abandoned and Serial No. 785,273, filed Jan. 6,1959, now Patent No. 2,971,237, entitled Flexible Building Panel Form.Both application Serial No. 456,684 and application Serial No. 785,273are each in turn a COlltlIllltliiOIl-lll part of application Serial No.259,3 54, filed December 1, 1951, now Patent No. 2,897,668, entitledBuilding Construction.

This invention particularly refers to thin-shell houses and otherbuildings of cementitious materials and plastics having rib-likecorrugations that are similar to ribbing on a sea shell of the scalloptype. The buildings may be constructed speedily at low cost with precastreinforced concrete panels, unskilled labor being usable to make anderect the panels. The buildings are pleasingly attractive in appearance,strong and durable as are ribbed sea shells. The buildings would havefar greater strength and durability than other types of buildings usingequal amounts of material, so as to provide security for the occupantsor users of such building against the terrifically violent forces ofnuclear blasts (in fringe areas), as well as less violent forces such asthose from shock waves from aircraft flying at supersonic speeds,hurricane-like winds, explosions, tidal and fresh water floods,avalanches, earthquakes, and fires. Furthermore, the buildings may haveself-sealing shutters and/or self-sealing doors and windows which wouldkeep out deadly bacteria and poisonous gas dropped from enemy guidedmissiles. In addition, the sealing along with the thin building shellallows covering such buildings with soil in critical bomb target areasin war-like times, to form a shield against the heat and deadly gammarays emitted by atomic blasts, also to camouflage the building. Theinvention contemplates encasing existing buildings with the thin-shellbuildings to protect the existing buildings from nuclear blasts andother violent forces.

In areas where sub-surface Water makes underground shelters impractical,the thin-shell building may have a double shell with soil between theshells to act as an insulator against nuclear fallout and the like.

Most present day houses lack the means to provide adequate shelter fromthe hazards that exist today, therefore the houses do not fulfill theirbasic purpose, since primarily a house is supposed to be a shelter toprotect the occupants.

Most of the present day building designs, building products, and methodsof construction for building houses and other small buildings cannot beused to construct pleasingly attractive buildings of great strength andgreat durability at an economically sound cost since they ineifectivelyuse materials and labor. Furthermore, in a war-like emergency period,when vast numbers of strong durable buildings would have to be speedilybuilt to furnish protection to the great mass of the people, present daybuilding means would be too slow and would require too much material tomeet the demand. It is unlikely that wood will be available in thefuture for large scale housing construction. The output of wood forconstruction work is lessening while the cost is increasing, due to thegreat increase in the use of wood for making synthetic fibers, plasticsand paper.

In general, present day building means in the field of small buildingsare inadequate for future housing needs. Present day types of houses areextremely weak against side pressures, therefore they would offer littleprotection from the violent blast pressure of an H-bomb (in fringeareas). Furthermore, present day houses offer little resist ance to firesuch as that from war time incendiaries.

In general, in suburban areas, there is need for dual purpose smallbuildings that can be used for normal living and act as shelters fromwarfare. There is urgent and widespread need for low cost blastresistant buildings for use in possible nuclear blast fringe areasaround industrial and military centers, since such centers would beprime targets for guided missiles with nuclear warheads. Such buildingsalso need to be seal-tight to prevent entry of deadly bacteria, deadlygases, and incendiary particles. There is need everywhere for buildingswith dense concrete shells that are smooth, free of cracks, and slopedfor good drainage, so that nuclear fallout can be easily flushed offwith a spray and the concrete can reduce the hazard from the rays of thefallout.

There is also need for farm buildings that offer protection to people,livestock, and crops from the aforementioned wartime hazards.

There is need for dual purpose vacation-refuge houses that arepleasingly attractive, durable and low in cost. Such houses in remotenon-strategic areas could act as vacation homes and as refuge sheltersin wartime if the occupants had to evacuate their homes in criticaltarget areas. The vacation-refuge houses need to be resistant tofallout, forest and brush fires, also resistant to damage by vandals.

There is urgent need for low cost attractive fire-resistant, durablehouses for families with low income, particu larly for the aged, weak,and crippled who have small social security pensions and the like.People with such low fixed incomes cannot pay for present day modernhousing due to monetary inflation. Such low income housing is muchneeded in the southern part of the country where adequate housing mustfurnish protection from hurricane winds, torrential rains, anddestructive insects. In addition, the housing for low income familiesshould have characteristics that would require little expenditure formaintenance, and the minimum expenditures for heating, venting andair-conditioning.

There is need for cementitious buildings and the like that are durableand which cannot be burned orbe torn down and stolen for gain byvanadals or possible invading armies, thus being unlike metal buildingswhich have high scrap value.

The present application pertains to means to provide the neededbuildings recited above, particularly for constr-uction during warliketimes since the buildings embodying the present invention require verylittle metal or other materials that are highly strategic materialsduring such times.

The present application describes improved means to build stronger andmore useful blast resistant buildings than were described in myco-pending applications Serial No. 456,684, and Serial No. 785,273.

An object of my invention is to provide a low cost, pleasinglyattractive thin-shell building having a shell of thin self-supportingrib-like panels bowed outwardly in width, the panel edges being in edgeto edge relationship to form a ribbed surface like the outer surface ofa scallop shell, the building being durable, fire-resistant,non-corrosive, strong, able to resist violent nuclear blast forces andwhich will resist deterioration from exposure to the elements.

Another object is to provide a thin-shell concrete building with aribbed surface similar to that of a scallop shell, the building shellbeing constructed of thin, bowed, reinforced, precast concrete panelswhose edges are interlocked with pins and key-bonded with concrete toobtain continuity in the structure so the panels coaact to provide greatstrength to the building, the building being erectarble dry duringinclement weather by pin connecting the.

panels, the grout being inserted at a later suitable period.

A still further object is to provide a ribbed thin-shell concretebuilding with panels that form the ribs, the building having bowedclosures to maintain continuity to the building.

A still further object is to provide a ribbed thin-shell building thatcan be used for normal living purposes and be covered with soil and beused as a strong bomb shelter during wartimes.

Other objects of my invention will become more apparent from thefollowing description taken with the accompanyin g drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a thin corrugated shelled buildingembodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the building shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end perspective view taken from the right of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view taken from the leftof FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a dome shaped building which has a thincorrugated shell;

FIG. 6 is a perspective, elevational view taken along line 6-6 of FIG.5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective, elevational view taken along line 7-7 of FIG.5;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, elevational view showing a retractabledoor-canopy in a lowered position to allow it to act as a storm door;

FIG. 9 is a front, perspective view of a two story building which has athin corrugated shell;

FIG. 10 is a rear, perspective view of the building shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary, perspective, elevational view showing atypical dormer with closed shutters;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary, perspective, elevational "iew showing atypical canopy-shutter in a closed position;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary, perspective, elevational view showing thecanopy for the rear door in a lowered position to allow it to act as astorm shutter;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing principally the front of arectangular building which has a thin corrugated shell;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing principally an end of the buildingshown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing principally the rear of thebuilding shownin FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a plan view of the building shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken along line 18i8 of FIG.1;

FIG. 18a is a fragmentary, sectional View similar to FIG. 1 8, butshowing a typical double shell.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view, showing a typicaljoint between the ends of two curved precast panels having reinforcing;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view, showing atypicaljoint between the side edges of the two bowed in width precast panelshaving reinforcing;

FIG. 21 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken through a one storyarched structure having a thin corrugated shell like those of thebuildings shown in FIGS. 1 and 5;

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken along line 22-22 of FIG.21 and FIG. 24;

FIG. 23 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectioanl elevation showing aconduit means positioned as shown in FIGS. 21 and 24;

FIG. 24 is a fragmentary, sectional elevation taken through a two storyarched building having a thin corrugated shell;

FIG. 24a is a fragmentary, sectional view that is similar to FIG. 24, itdiffers by having the ground line adjacent to the second floor level.

FIG. 24b is a fragmentary sectional elevation, taken along line 24b24bof FIG. 24 and FIG. 24a.

FIG. 25 is a fragmentary, sectional view showing some typical panelcombinations for buildings having curved thin shell construction.

FIGS. 1 to 17 inclusive show exterior views of various types of strong,durable, low cost buildings which have thin shells that are corrugated,the corrugations having an appearance like that of ribs on the ribbedsurface of a scallop type sea shell.

The shells of the buildings may be made of cementitious materials orplastics. Wire may be used to reinforce cementitious shells, and fiberglass may be used to reinforce plastic shells. Fiber glass may also beused for reinforcing the cementitious shells.

The scallop shell motif of the buildings may be maintained at theclosures by having outwardly bowed windows, doors, shutters and dormers.I have provided such suitable closures, since my Patent No. 2,877,517describes low cost, thin, strong, curved jalousie type windows that arecushionable, blast resistant, self-sealing and frameless. My patents,No. 2,770,850, No. 2,826,787, and No. 2,826,788 describe low cost, thin,strong, bowed doors and shutters that are blast resistant, self-sealingand frameless.

FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive show exterior views of an arched, elongatedbuilding B. FIGS. 5 to 8 inclusive show exterior views of a dome-likebuilding C. FIGS. 9 to 13 inclusive show exterior views of a two story,arched, elongated building D. FIGS. 14 to 17 inclusive show exteriorviews of a rectangular shaped building E. These building shells may bemade of concrete, plastic and the like. These buildings may be readilyconstructed by cast-in-place methods, such as by the method of usinginflated balloon forms and spraying the shell material onto the forms.The balloon forming system is low in cost for thin shell constructionwhen the shell has little reinforcing, but it is a very costlyconstruction means when reinforcing is stretched over the form.

Buildings B, C, D, E, and the like, may be built at low cost with panelmeans described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 785,273, nowPatent No. 2,971,237, along with means described in my Patents No.2,897,668 and No. 2,920,475. Patent No. 2,897,668 describe most of thecorrugated panel construction means. The copending application mainlydescribes flexible elastic form means for molding the panels, inaddition it describes some means to make improved panel construction.

Buildings B, C, D, E, and the like, may have thin reinforced concreteshells, which type of construction allows highly efficient use ofmaterial and labor. The shapes of these building shells deflect, absorband resist loads more effectively than do conventional types of buildingshells having fiat surfaces or slightly curved surfaces. The thin curvedpanels of the buildings have curved shapes that make them stronglyresistant to loads that tend to bend or buckle them, thereby allowingshell portions with a small amount of reinforcing wire to support theirown weight and a live load over long spans. The panels may haveprestressed reinforcing strands, particularly the longitudinal strands,to obtain stronger panels without increasing the amount of material inthe panels. Since the thin curved reinforced panels are very strong fortheir weights, the weights of the buildings are low compared to thosefor conventional masonry buildings, thus allowing smaller, less costlyfoundations.

The useful characteristics of concrete areexploited in the buildingswhile the objectionable characteristics have been curtailed or have beengiven little opportunity to act. Extensive use is made of archconstruction to utilize the concrete to best advantage, that is, incompression. The shells would not have objectionable cracks because thearches that form the corrugations and arches spanning the buildings canbulge outwardly due to expansion caused by heat, and they can flatten toan extent due to contraction caused by cold weather. The compressiveforce of the bowed shapes keep cracks squeezed tightly closed, therebyresisting water penetration. The arched spans of thin corrugated panelsdo not have to depend to a large extent on reinforcing steel, and thearches are not likely to collapse if line should penetrate the concretefor a short period and weaken the reinforcing. A large amount ofvermiculite may be used in the shell aggregate to slow the passage ofheat from fires and the sun. When arched shelters, like buildings B, C,and D are to be built in trenches and are to be covered with soil, theshell may be built without reinforcing since the soil will restrain thearches from bending and collapsing. The building shell-s may have alayer of foam plastic insulation to provide thermal and acousticalinsulation that is light in weight. The buildings may have hollow shellsformed by double shells to provide more strength and insulation to thestructures. The spaces in the double shells may be filled withinsulation including soil as insulation against fallout. Soil asinsulation against nuclear radiation is defined as earth, which includesloam, clay, sand, and stones. Various double shell panel combinationsare shown in my Patent No. 2,897,668.

The reinforcing metal and the concrete in the building shells may havecontinuity characteristics to tie and bond the structure portionstogether so they co-act to make a building a monolithic-like structurethat is strong and free of open cracks.

When the building shells are made of precast panels, metal fastenerssuch as clevises and eyes may be used in the panel edging to engage thereinforcing and to form pin connections to interlock adjoining panels,which, along with keying the joints with grout, maintains continuityacross splices to provide means to maintain a smooth flow of stressesthrough the shells. FIGS. 19 and 20 show typical splices that haveclevises and eyes that are pinned together to provide such continuity tothe reinforcing and keying grooves in the panel edging to provide meansto key the panels together with grout.

The clevis pin connections allow quick, accurate and secure alignmentand joining of panels at erection, while I thesmall weight of the thinprecast panels allows the use of low cost, small load capacity erectionequipment. A low cost portable utility crane such as the monorail gantrycrane described in my Patent No. 2,763,218 may be used by a two-man crewto erect a small building.

Buildings B, C, D, E, and the like, may be built at low cost withunskilled labor due to standardized, relatively fool-proof constructionmeans which include a modular system. The flexible forms being astandardizing means for molding the various shaped panels, positioningand spacing the clevis and eye fasteners, spacing, prestressing andanchoring the reinforcing.

In general, buildings B, C, D, and E, as illustrated in the drawings,have ribs or curved panels that have an arc of four feet eight inchesacross the panel width and four feet across the chord Width. The taperedwidth panels in the dome-like building C are four feet wide at theirbase. The precast panels may generally be made about eight feet longlike other types of building panels, so they may be shipped and handledwith conventional equipment. The panels may be tapered in thickness tosuit loading conditions. The depths of the corrugations of the panelsmay be varied so as to increase or taper the depths to suit loadingconditions.

The curved panels may have a standardized crescentlike transversesection having identical curvatures on the convex and concave surfaces.The identical curvature allows panels to be cast at low cost by castingone such panel upon the other. The identical curvature also allowsidentical panels to nest tightly together when stacked, permitting lowcost storage, shipping, and handling of stacks of panels without muchdanger of breakage of the panels. In addition, standardized identicalcurvature allows panels to be laminated to increase the shell thicknesswhere additional shell thickness is needed for strength or insulation.Laminating allows a thin vapor barrier to be sandwiched between twoprecast panels.

Curved panels with a constant vertical thickness are stronger panelsthan those with a constant radial thickness having the same amount ofaggregate. The panel having identical curvature is thickened towards itscenter, where it tends to be weakest against bending loads, and it thinsout towards the side edge portions. The side edge portions are strongwhen joined to the adjacent panels, since the edge portions form strongV-shaped rib-like shell portions. Standardized curved panels may have aconstant thickness that is, constant in a radial direction. This typethickness is suitable for use when codes require a large concretecovering of the reinforcing strands, such as one inch, for example. Forthis example, such code requirements would require a minimum panelthickness of slightly more than two inches. The bottoms of panels havingconstant thicknesses radially can be molded by casting the panels uponpanel-like forms and by shaping the panel tops by scraping them with acurved screen.

Thin shells five-eighths of an inch thick have been used in othercountries, since curved thin shell arches do not rely to a great extenton the reinforcing as does fiat concrete slab construction. In the nearfuture, thin shell construction is likely to be classified dilferentlyin construction codes so it may be made with thinner covering than isrequired for fiat slabs, thus allowing the reduction of the dead load ofsuch thin shell spans, therefore eliminating an enormous waste ofbuilding material, allowing people in this country to build blastresistant buildings on equal terms with those of other countries.

The standardized precast panels may be made with the standardizedfasteners anchoredin the panel edges. Such anchored fasteners may beused along with wire mesh fabric reinforcing, as described in my PatentNo. 2,920,475.

The side edge portions of the adjoining curved panels form a V-shapedvalley, as shown in FIG. 20. The V that is shaped by the adjoiningcurved panels tends to act as a rib, giving strength to the shell.

The V-shaped valleys can handle the flow of torrential rainfalls. Thebuildings may have gutters near the ground level to carry off the waterdrained from the building shell. Excessive snows, particularly heavy wetsnows, would tend to slide off the arched spans. Slush would tend toslide off the arched shell rather than to dam-up and cause pools ofwater to form, thus the arched shell is unlike flat roots that leak dueto slush damming up. The curved panels are able to bend slightly fromthe expansive force of ice forming in the ll-shaped valleys. TheV-shaped valleys eliminate the need for conventional roof gutters anddownspouts, thus eliminating troublesome members that are not easilyaccessible to service when they clog up with debris and ice. Any rainwater that might penetrate the arched span from cracks caused byabnormal forces would tend to flow down the inside of the arch ratherthan to drip onto furnishings in the intermediate portions of a room.Such seepage may be controlled so it does little damage by providingscreened weep holes through the floor slab to allow the seepage as wellas scrub water to flow down into the duct-like air spaces below thefloor. The weep holes may also be used as outlets for heating, ventingand air-conditioning. The floor framing may form duct-like spaces, suchas those shown in FIGS. 21, 22, and 24. The duct-like '2 spaces alloweconomical heating, venting and airconditioning. The use of doubleshells of floors, walls and roofing as ducts is described in Patent No.2,897,668.

The buildings do not have objectionable root coverings that can corrode,nor coverings that can dry out, war or buckle from the heat of the sun.The buildings do not have objectionable roof coverings such as shingles,slate or tile that can be torn loose by hurricane-like winds and blasts.The noise of rain or hail falling on the corrugated concrete shellswould be less than that for metal roofs and the like.

Building B illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive offers a low cost,pleasingly attractive house that has great security means. The buildingalso has means for comfort and convenience, as the building can easilybe kept clean and sanitary. The building would be adaptable to anyclimate. Such a building made of thin shell concrete makes optimum useof concrete with its small arched span and the strong shape to provideadequate strength and durability to the structure.

FIG. 18 shows a typical section through the corrugated shell, each ofthe bowed panels in, lb, and 10 forming a corrugation. Windows 2 may besheltered by dormers W. All the windows have dormers W. REG. 4 is anenlarged view of a dormer W that is mounted on a broad dished end panel3. A dormer W includes a fixed hood 4 and sectionalized, pivotallymounted, self-sealing shutter sections 5 and 6. The shutter sections 5and 6 are shown closed in FIG. 4. They are shown substantially openedfor the other dormers W shown in FlGS. l, 2, and 3. The shutter sections5 and 6 may be closed or be partially closed to insure privacy and toshield against undesirable elements. Such a dormer is described indetail in my Patent No. 2,897,668. The dormers may have hoods 4 withoutthe shutter sections 5 and 6.

End doors 7a and 7b are closures for a doorway that allows an automobileto be moved into and out of the building. The rear doorway has a door 8.The curved canopy-storm door 9 is shown in a canopy position in FIG. 2,so it can provide shelter from rain while entering or leaving anautomobile parked in front of the canopy. The canopy-storm door 9 may bepivoted down from the canopy position shown in FIG. 2 to a position likethat shown in FIG. 13, to allow it to act as a blast resistant door toprovide protection from explosions, hurricane winds or the like. Thefront entrance F has an overhanging roof to provide shelter from rainwhile entering or leaving an automobile that is parked in front of it.The front entrance F has a vestibule. Exterior storm doors 10a and 1%can be closed during bomb raids, storms, floods, and the like. Gutters11 take the rain that flows oil" the shell of the building.

The vent-like units 12 on the ridge of roof may be used as outlets forsmoke, fumes, and exhausted air. A ventlike unit 12 may be used as aninlet for fresh air. Such a unit 12 may have a hinged vent cap to allowaccess means through the vent-like opening to the roof, thus duringsudden floods, occupants could escape to the roof and be safe above theflood waters. A light-weight removable foldable platform similar to achilds play-pen (not shown) may be attached to the roof near a vent lfor use as a sun deck, or as a safety deck during iloo' s. A suspendedfloor such as that shown in my Patent No. 2,897,668 may be hung from theroof arch. The suspended fiOOl may be used for storage space and infloodable areas, as a hood refuge. Such a floor may also supportequipment such as an air-conditionen Building B may have partitions madeof thin corrugated precast panels. Some of the panel partitions may befoldabel so room space in the building may be selectively varied to makemultipurpose room space. Such partitions are shown in Patent No.2,897,668.

Building B may be built on a hat concrete slab base, the flexible formsbeing used to mold 11v} mg grooves in 8 the slab and to space andposition fasteners to interlock the building shell to the slab.

Building B may have floating foundation like the combination shown inFIG. 21. Such a foundation may be built on moist soil since it resistswater penetration and it distributes the building load over a large areabelow the building. The floating foundation would be superior to theslab base.

Building B may have a basement story. Such a building may have framinglike the framing shown in FIG. 24 and FIG. 24a. The basement would besuitable as a bomb shelter and as a shelter against fallout,particularly when the floor duct system above the basement story isfilled to an extent with dense matter such as soil.

The dome-shaped building C, shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 inclusive, has asubstantially hemispherical shape. The building has limited space but itprovides maximum security from blast forces, because it has a verystrong shape for the amount of material in its shell. FIG. 8 shows thecanopy-storm door 9a positioned to act as a storm door. Building C mayhave a basement similar to the one described for building B. The ceilingfor the basement would be substantially hemispherical in shape withtapered corrugations like the roof portion of the shell. Such a stronglyshaped basement ceiling may support a thick mass of earth to insulateagainst nuclear radiation. Building C has similar characteristics tothose of building B. In addition, the shell of building C has morebracing means. The building C would be useful as a blast resistantshelter, an earthquake resistant building, a low cost vacation-refugecottage, a low cost tourist cottage, or the like. The front entrance His similar to the front entrance F of building B.

The two story building D, shown in FIGS. 9 to 13 inclusive, has moreheadroom on the second floor than would a gabled roof with equaldraining characteristics. Building D is similar to building B. It mayhave a basement. Canopy-storm doors 9 and awning-shutters 13 are pivoteddown to act as strong closures during severe storms and the like, asshown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13. Dormers W are used in the second story.FIG. 11 shows a dormer W mounted on a typical side panel corrugation,the shutters of the dormer are closed. The front entrance l is like thefront entrance F of building B. The doors 7c and 7d are similar to doors7a and 7b of building B. The collar 14 is arched over the doors 7c and7d to shelter the doorway from rain draining from the shell above it.The collar 14 would act as a dam for soil when the building is coveredwith a layer of soil during warlike times. A one story building may beconstructed similar to building B and at a later period the second storymay be added, the arch spanning the first story being incorporated intothe second floor supporting structure.

The building E, shown in FIGS. 14 to 17 inclusive, is not as strong asthe arched buildings previously described, but it is more functionalthan conventional types of rectangular buildings of equal cost. BuildingB may have a basement similar to the one described for building B, itwould difler from the arrangements shown in FIGS. 24 and 24a, becausebuilding E has vertical wall portions into which an arched lower storyceiling would frame. Building B would be suitable for use as a multipledwelling structure, also as a non-dwelling structure such as an officeor shop building. The building B may be used as a motel structure or asan institutional building. A short building similar to building B may beused as a single family house.

Building E would be an ideal structure for amotel, since it incorporatesthefollowing means to make a motel profitable. It is pleasinglyattractively modern, strong, low in cost to build and maintain,fire-safe and thus suitable for rural areas, it can easily be kept cleanand sanitary, free of vermin and other pests. The partitions andexterior walls may be of double shell sound-proof construction.Self-sealing doors and windows may be closed to provide a large degreeof thermal and acoustical insulation, floor vents and ductlike spacesbelow the floor being means to economically heat, vent, andair-condition the structure. The vent units 17 are similar to vent units12.

The strong overhanging roof at the front of the building offers shelterfor people when they are unloading and loading their automobiles as wellas for sheltering the front of the motel and automobiles from the sun,snow and rain. The front doors 8:: and the front windows 2a and 2b aresheltered by the overhanging roof. The rear windows 20 and end windows2a have awning-shutters 13b and 13a, respectively, that act as awningswhen raised and act as hurricane shutters and the like when lowered. Thecurvature of the shell corrugations from almost horizontal at the roofto vertical at the rear of the building, allows rain water to fiow overthe rounded edge of the roof without it arching out from the buildingshell.

The corrugated roof panels 15 act as beams and the vertical wall panels16a and 16b act as columns. The vertical panels are much stronger inresisting side pressure than would block walls using the equivalentmaterials. The horizontal paneis 15 are highly eflicient as simple beamsand the like, since the thick center portion of the corrugation is nearthe extreme top, thus it can better resist high compressive forces. Thereinforcing wires near the side edges of the corrugations resisttensional stresses. The reinforcing and the corrugated shapes preventobjectionable cracking. The corrugated front, rear and roof panels maybe combined to act like rigid frames. The narrow end panels 18 may behollow to provide stiifness to the shell.

FIG. 18 is a typical sectional view showing bowed panels 11:, 1b, and 1cforming a portion of the thin shell of building B. The shell portionshown in FIG. 18 may be merely an outer shell, as a hollow or doubleshell may be used to provide more strength and insulation for thestructure. FIG. 18:: shows a double shell that may be formed by adding asecond shell to the combination shown in FIG. 18. Shell portions ofbuildings C, D, E, and the like, would be similar to the portion shownin FIG. 18. The combination shown in FIG. 18a has the outer shell panels1a, 1b, and 10 connected to the inner shell panels 45 with connectingmembers 46. Members 46 may be placed continuously or be intermittentlyspaced. Insulation 47 may be placed in the space between the inner andouter shells. Insulation 47 may be earth to provide a high degree ofinsulation from nuclear radiation, in addition to insulation to reducethe passage of sound and heat. Common light-weight insulation materialsmay be used to provide thermal and sound insulation where insulationfrom nuclear radiation is not required. When the spaces between theshells are not filled with insulation, they may be used as ducts forheating and ventilation. Bleeder holes may be made in the panels 45 toallow air to pass through the inner shell.

FIG. 19 shows a typical field splice such as that for interlocking theends of two curved panels or the edges of two flat panels. The panels 1gand 1h have reinforcing strands or wires 19. A fastener or clevis 20 isconnected to the Wire 19 in panel 1g and a fastener or eye 21 isconnected to the wire 19 in panel 1h. The clevis 20 and the eye 21 areinterlocked by inserting a pin 22. The pin 22 may be tapered to allow itto be driven to tension or prestress the reinforcing where it spans thejoint. The pin 22 may be threaded so a nut may hold it securely.Threaded pins 22 may be longer than shown, so they may also act asfasteners to connect laminated sections, intersecting walls, and otherstructural or utility members. A strand of reinforcing wire 19a may beplaced in the joint. It may be inserted in the crotch of the clevis 20.Grout 23 is inserted in the joint during erection of the panels or laterto key the panels 1g and 1h together. The

grout 23 may have iron particles in its mix to cause the grout to swellto maintain its volume, thus compensating for the shrinkage tendenciesof the concrete. The flexible forms have means to tension the wires 19before casting the panels. Wires 19 may be coated with a yieldablecovering before the casting, so the concrete will not adhere to them.The wires 19 may be slackened while the flexible forms are beingstripped. After the flexible forms are removed from a panel, the wedges24 may be driven by the shop or field crew to retention the wires 19.

The ends of the reinforcing strands may be welded together if preferredto make a low cost connection of the panels.

FIG. 20 shows a typical joint or splice formed by joining the side edgeportions of the bowed or corrugated panels 1k and 1m to form a V-shapedvalley. The metal fastening means and grouting are similar to thoseshown in FIG. 19. Additional reinforcing wire 1% and the like may beplaced in the joint.

When the reinforcing wire 19 and the fasteners 20 and 21 are thin andeasily bent, wedges (not shown) may be lightly driven between the panelsto tension the metal spanning the joint. The wedges may be removed aftergrout 23 has been added to the joint and has been allowed to cure. Whenthe metal is easily bent, bars or washers may be used along withtemporary bolts through the joints to pull the panel faces intoalignment. The bars or washers would be fiat for the joints such as thatshown in FIG. 19, and they would be angle-iron members for the V-shapedshell portion shown in FIG. 20. The aligning means along with means toprevent fresh grout from seeping out of joints is clearly described inmy Patent No. 2,897,668. 1

FIG. 21 is a fragmentary sectional view through an arched thin-shellstructure such as that of buildings B and C. The building shell haspanels 1p that are corrugated like'the shell portion panels shown inFIG.'18. The

structure may have a double or hollow shell like that describedpreviously.

The building shell below the floor line forms an inverted arched shape.The inverted arch has the'same characteristics as the arch "of the upperportion of the structure. The lower portion of theshell forms a strong,light-weight, water-resistant, floating foundation that distributes theweight of the building over a large area of the soil 25. Pressure of thesoil 2-5 and hydrostatic pressure against the convex surfaces of thepanels 1p compress the inverted arch of the shell, thus squeezing cracksclosed to seal against water penetration. The inverted arching of thebottom of the building shell makes a more efficient, durable,water-resistant foundation than that shown in my Patent No. 2,897,668.

Panels 26 may be placed above the panels 1p to form a double or hollowshell having oval shaped duct-like spaces in the lower portion of thestructure. Such oval spaces allow air to be circulated adjacent to thebottom of the structure to eliminate dampness. The oval spaces wouldprovide access crawl space for cleaning and waterproofing maintenancework. The floor slab panels 27 may have reinforcing like that of thepanels 1g. The panels 27 are shown supported by the supports 28. Thespace between panels 26 and 27 may be used to circulate air 29 under thefloor of the shelter. The structure may have an air duct from the groundlevel to these duct-like spaces. The floor panels 27 may have spacedbleeder holes 27a through them to allow fresh air to be inserted intothe shelter. The fresh air may be conditioned to heat or cool it.

When dampness is not a problem, the panels 26 may be omitted, the bottompanels 1p and the supports 23 supporting the panels 27.

Gutter sections 30 may be attached to the building shell. The guttersections 30a may be hinged to sections 39. The hinging action allowsmovement of the section when ice forms in the gutter. Sections 30 and30a may be coms,15a,ssa

l. l bined where freezing weather never exists. The gutter sectionswould be omitted when the structure is built underground or in a trenchand covered with soil.

The structure illustrated in FIG. 21 would be suitable for use as a bombshelter and the like. When such structures are to be subjected to greatsoil pressures, the corrugations in the arches may be tapered in depthto suit the loading conditions.

Corrugated arched shells similar to the structure shown in FIG. 21 maybe used as tunnel passageways to bomb shelters and the like. Suchstructures may also be used as tunnel-like snow-sheds for railroads andhighways, also as arches to span roadways, to provide shelter for theroadway from landslides.

When buildings B, C, D, E, and the like, are to have a single thinshell, they should have an electrical conduit system that does not haveto be embedded in the shell, since large embedded conduits would weakenthe shell. Therefore, I have provided a safer and lower cost conduitsystem than that of conventional small buildings. Conduitlike assembliesT are shown attached to the inside of the building shells in FIGS. 21and 24. The conduit assemblies T are shown positioned high enough toclear occupants and doorways.

FIG. 23 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of an assembly T. Theinverted trough-shaped conduit 31 is supported by wall brackets 32. Theconduit 31 may be an aluminum or plastic extrusion, which may havesloping fins to support wires. The center portion of the conduit 31 maybe thick enough to tap for bolts to hold wires, outlets, outlet sockets,and switches. The bottom closure may be sectionalized strips 33. Thestrips 33 may be fastened to conduit 31 with pivot bars 34. The ends ofbars 34- engage the grooves in conduit'3l. The bar 34 has a slotted headpin that is keyed to it; the pin is turned to pivot the bar. Switches,outlet connections including outlet sockets, may be attached to theinside of the conduit 31. Strips 33 may be cut to suit these outlets.Switches may have long chains to reach down to a suitable position forpeople to pull them. Extension plugs may hang from sockets in theconduit. Thus extension cords may be kept above the floor for safety.Children and pets cannot readily reach these dangerous cords or theoutlets. In case of a short circuit in an appliance, the appliance cablecan be yanked out of its socket. Flood waters and water used in cleaningcannot readily reach these highly positioned conduits and cause shortcircuits. Lamps, pictures and drapes may be hung from the conduit 31.Additional wires and outlets can readily be added to the conduit 31 asthe inside of the conduit is easily accessible. The conduit 31 may alsocarry water pipes.

FIG. 24 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through a two story archedbuilding which has a thincorrugated shell. The second floor framing andthe framing above the second floor may be similar to the framing shownfor a similar building in Patent No. 2,897,668. Floor slab panels 27bform the second floor. The framing shown in FIG. 24 is, in general, likethe framing shown in FIG. 21. FIG. 24a is similar to FIG. 24, it differsby the lower floor being for a basement story with the upper storyhaving a floor near the ground level. Second story panels 1v are similarto panels'lp. The gutter 30b is at ground level, adjacent to the floorpanels 2712.

FIG. 2% is a transverse sectional view through the lower story ceilingand the floor above it. FIG. 24b shows the transverse curvature of thecementitious panels 43 and the insulation 47 between the floor andceiling. The insulation 47 is earth which would screen out nuclearradiation. Vertical members 49 may be used to connect the floor andceiling.

FIG. 25 shows typical panel combinations for allowing the thin shellbuildings with corrugated shells to be adapted to various conditions.Panel 35 is laminated to a. panel 36, which is a typical arrangement fora shell of double thickness. A coating of asphalt or the like may spreadon the contact surfaces before laminating, to act as a vapor barrier.Panel 37 is fastened across the chord of a panel 36. The segmental spaceat panel 37 may be used as a duct for air or piping and wiring, or itmay be filled with insulation, or concrete. Segmental rib 38 is atypical rib for bracing across. a corrugation, or for blocking across acorrugation. Rubs 38 may be used when possible severe loads require suchbracing. Tie rod 39 may be connected to the reinforcing in the\/-joints, to tie across the corrugations to prevent the corrugationfrom spreading, if the shell is subject to possible severe loads. Rods39 may be embedded in a groove in the bottom of ribs 38. Panel 40 is apanel that is half as wide as panel 36 and the like. Panel 41 has aflattened S-shape, or serpentine shape. Panel 42 has V-shape similar inshape to a winged bird.

Panels 35 and 43 with spacers 44 form a double shell with space between.The space may be used for insulation or ducts. Panels 43 may havebleeder holes 43a to allow air to pass through them when the duct-likespaces are used for air-conditioning, heating and ventilation. The spacebetween the shells may be filled with concrete, thus thin precast panelsmay be used as forms in place of temporary forms for poured-in-placeconcrete construction. The thin shells besides acting as forms provide aneat exterior for the structures. This method would be particularlysuitable for thick arched structures, such as large bomb shelters aswell as arched bridge spans.

Existing buildings that are inflammable or weak against side thrustsfrom blasts such as atomic explosions, or are not modern looking, may becovered with a strong dunable thin corrugated concrete shell similar tothe shells of buildings B, C, D, and E.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a novel corrugated buildingsuitable for low cost building projects or for shelters against naturalor war caused violent forces.

While I have illustrated and described several embodiments of myinvention, it will be understood that these are by way of illustnationonly, and that various changes and modifications may be made within thecontemplation of my invention and within the scope of the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. A fixed shelter supported on land for protection against violenttwarfare forces, comprising at least an outer, thin shell means, saidshell means having an intermediate roof portion, a floor in contiguousrelationship with opposing portions of said shell means to form asubstantially total enclosure therewith, said shell rmeans comprisedsubstantially of cementitious material, reinforcing strand means ofmaterial for resisting tensiorral and shearing forces embedded in saidshell means, said shell means having a multiplicity of corrugationsarranged in uniformly spaced relationship, the side edges of each ofsaid corrugations being in contiguous relationship with those ofadjoining corrugations throughout substantially their entire lengths,each of said corrugations having an outwardly bowed arcuate curvatureacross substantially its entire width, said shell means being at leasttwo stories high, having a lower story and an upper story, at least saidlower story being below the ground line, said lower story having acementitious, arched, thin shell ceiling spanning the interior of saidshelter, said ceiling having arched ceiling corrugations that areconnected to said corrugations in said shell means, each of said archedceiling corrugations having an outwardly bowed arcuate curvature acrosssubstantially its entire width, said bowed curvature of each of saidarched ceiling corrugations beingv bowed outwardly from said lowerstory, said upper story including a second floor in spaced, opposedrelationship with and above said ceiling, and the intermediate spacebetween said ceiling and said second floor having a filler of earthdisposed therein.

2. A shelter as recited in claim 1 wherein said shell means includessubstantially vertical, exteriorly exposed wall portions.

3. A shelter as recited in claim 1 together with an inner corrugatedshell in spaced relationship with at least said intermediate roofportion of said outer shell means, said outer, thin shell means and saidinner shell being connected together at spaced intervals to cause themto coact, said inner shell means being comprised substantially ofcementitious material.

4. A shelter as recited in claim 1 wherein said shell means has a bottomportion underneath said floor, said bottom portion being archeddownwardly.

5. A shelter as recited in claim 1 wherein said intermediate roofportion of said shellmeans is an upwardly arched span, and wherein saidcorrugations in said upwardly arched span have their longitudinal axesbowed upwardly.

6. A shelter as recited in claim 3 together wtih a filler of earthdisposed in the space between said outer, thin shell means and saidinner shell.

7. A shelter as recited in claim 3 wherein said intermediate roofportion of said shell means is an upwardly arched span, and wherein saidcorrugations in said upwardly arched span have their longitudinal axesbowed upwardly.

8. A shelter as recited in claim 5 wherein said intermediate roofportion of said shell means has a substantially hemispherical shape, andwherein the width of each of said corrugations is progressively smallerin an upward direction.

9. A shelter as recited in claim 5 wherein said reinforcing strand meansincludes at least fiber glass.

10. A shelter as recited in claim 5 wherein said shell means has abottom portion underneath said floor, said bottom portion being archeddownwardly.

11. A shelter as recited in claim 7 together with a filler of earthdisposed in the intermediate space between said outer, thin shell meansand said inner shell.

12. A shelter as recited in claim 10, wherein said shell means has ashape in a horizontal plane at either of said floors that is elongatedwith substantially semi-circular ends, said shell means having along atransverse section taken in a vertical plane, outwardly curved endportions, substantially all of said corrugations having a substantiallyconstant width, said longitudinal axes of said corrugations in saidarched span being bowed upwardly across the width of said shelter, saidcorrugations at the said ends being progressively decreasing in height.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,166,577 Beckius July 18, 1939 2,215,773 Workman Sept. 24, 19402,257,153 Blaski Sept. 30, 1941 2,353,071 Pitou July 4, 1944 2,365,145Nell Dec. 12, 1944 2,372,200 Hayes Mar. 27, 1945 2,425,883 Jackson Aug.19, 1947 2,469,603 LeTourneau May 10, 1949 2,499,478 Feser Mar. 7, 19502,616,149 Waller Nov. 4, 1952 2,704,983 Dronkelaar Mar. 29, 19552,755,630 Freyssinet July 24, 1956 2,897,668 Graham Aug. 4, 19592,921,463 Goldfein Jan. 19, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 517,548 Great BritainFeb. 1, 1940 487,472 Italy Dec. 2, 1953 713,574 Great Bnitain Aug. 11,1954 157,748 Sweden i. Feb. 5, 1957 961,303 Germany Apr. 4, 1957 OTHERREFERENCES Engineering News-Record, p. 103, Oct. 21, 1943. CivilEngineering, February 1953, pp. 37-39.

1. A FIXED SHELTER SUPPORTED ON LAND FOR PROTECTION AGAINST VIOLENTWARFARE FORCES, COMPRISING AT LEAST AN OUTER, THIN SHELL MEANS, SAIDSHELL MEANS HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE ROOF PORTION, A FLOOR IN CONTIGUOUSRELATIONSHIP WITH OPPOSING PORTIONS OF SAID SHELL MEANS TO FORM ASUBSTANTIALLY TOTAL ENCLOSURE THEREWITH, SAID SHELL MEANS COMPRISEDSUBSTANTIALLY OF CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, REINFORCING STRAND MEANS OFMATERIAL FOR RESISTING TENSIONAL AND SHEARING FORCES EMBEDDED IN SAIDSHELL MEANS, SAID SHELL MEANS HAVING A MULTIPLICITY OF CORRUGATIONSARRANGED IN UNIFORMLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP, THE SIDE EDGES OF EACH OFSAID CORRUGATIONS BEING IN CONTIGUOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH THOSE OFADJOINING CORRUGATIONS THROUGHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY THEIR ENTIRE LENGTHS,EACH OF SAID CORRUGATIONS HAVING AN OUTWARDLY BOWED ARCUATE CURVATUREACROSS SUBSTANTIALLY ITS ENTIRE WIDTH, SAID SHELL MEANS BEING AT LEASTTWO STORIES HIGH, HAVING A LOWER STORY AND AN UPPER STORY, AT LEAST SAIDLOWER STORY BEING BELOW THE GROUND LINE, SAID LOWER STORY HAVING ACEMENTITIOUS, ARCHED, THIN SHELL CEILING SPANNING THE INTERIOR OF SAIDSHELTER, SAID CEILING HAVING ARCHED CEILING CORRUGATIONS THAT ARECONNECTED TO SAID CORRUGATIONS IN SAID SHELL MEANS, EACH OF SAID ARCHEDCEILING CORRUGATIONS HAVING AN OUTWARDLY BOWED ARCUATED CURVATURE ACROSSSUBSTANTIALLY ITS ENTIRE WIDTH, SAID BOWED CURVATURE OF EACH OF SAIDARCHED CEILING CORRUGATIONS BEING BOWED OUTWARDLY FROM SAID LOWER STORY,SAID UPPER STORY INCLUDING A SECOND FLOOR IN SPACED, OPPOSEDRELATIONSHIP WITH AND ABOVE SAID CEILING, AND THE INTERMEDIATE SPACEBETWEEN SAID CEILING AND SAID SECOND FLOOR HAVING A FILLER OF EARTHDISPOSED THEREIN.